


Universal Constant

by RiptidesBoyfriend



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader-Insert, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-03-08 17:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18899362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiptidesBoyfriend/pseuds/RiptidesBoyfriend
Summary: A collection of soulmate prompts I answered on tumblr.





	1. Tfp Arcee

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Congrats so much on reaching 250!! You’re such a gem, I was wondering if I’d be able to request 10 for tfp Arcee? I love her and want her to be happy, but like... the angst potential of this one called to me. I’d just be super excited to see however you tackled it! -Twinkle
> 
> Prompt: You’re essentially immortal until you meet your soulmate

The pain of losing Tailgate had nearly killed her. To have such an intimate connection with someone, only to have it torn away by force was one of the most painful experiences imaginable, and knowing that he was only so vulnerable because of her had made it worse. When Cliffjumper had suddenly appeared in her life she had pushed him away, shunning him for fear of what may happen, but he had insisted that it was his choice too and that he chose her, despite the risk. Then she had felt him die, felt as the world tilted on its axis and left her alone again and Arcee had wept openly for the first time in a long time when the universe shifted again and gave her a third person to lose.

You were human, painfully so, burning so brightly that it made her spark ache, especially since you would burn out so quickly once she came forward as your sparkmate, or soulmate as the humans called it. You were so alive and real and a part of her desperately craved your soft touch and warm words, but she held back, only ever observing you from far. Jasper was a small town and it was easy to catch these frequent glimpses into your life and who you were as a person. If she wasn’t so afraid of the consequences she could easily see herself getting along with you, slotting you into her life like a puzzle piece she hadn’t known she was missing.

But she couldn’t approach you, couldn’t put you at risk, not when everyday was a fight for survival, not when there were still those out there who would stop at nothing to hurt you just to get to her. So for now Arcee contented herself with following the tug at her spark that always drew her to you without fail, dreaming of the day she could open up to love again.


	2. Mtmte Overlord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 13 with Overlord pls?? Sorry I'm thirsty for douchebag on main :'))))
> 
> Prompt: You can see the red string of fate that connects you to your soulmate but only when you close your eyes + reincarnation

Today was to be a day of celebration. You had woken up this morning and had seen that the red string of fate, the only thing tying you to your soulmate, had been on the move, indicating that you were getting closer to the one person in the universe who would complete you. You had excitedly shared the good news with the rest of your crew, who had all been ecstatic on your behalf. An impromptu celebration had broken out and you’d all been too busy enjoying yourselves to pay attention to your ship’s proximity alerts.

The first blast had sent you reeling. The second had knocked you to the floor. The third had loosened the ceiling panels enough for them to come crashing down on top of you, effectively pinning you to the ground as your friends scrambled to regain control of the situation. You were soon left totally alone, the distant cries of your shipmates fading out one by one until an eerie silence settled over the ship, the klaxon alarms ringing in your ears.

You frantically struggled to free yourself, pushing at the heavy debris with all the strength you could muster, to no avail. You only ceased your futile efforts when the clang of metal against metal rang out. It didn’t stop, the sound continuing on and sounding as if it was moving closer with each hollow thud. You already knew that it wasn’t any of your crew members and you shut your eyes in fear, hoping to take comfort in knowing that your soulmate was still out there somewhere, safe and sound.

Instead you found yourself biting back a whimper as the red line grew shorter and shorter. You kept your eyes screwed shut as the footsteps stopped, a deep chuckle reverberating through the room, strong enough that you could feel it in your chest. “Well well well, what do we have here? You know in all the times I’ve hunted you down, in all the times that I’ve torn you limb from limb and scrubbed what remained of you from my plating, not once have you been a _human_.”

You finally opened your eyes and watched as as a figure you recognized as Cybertronian casually flicked away the wreckage that held you down in a display of strength that was frightening to behold. He was so much bigger than you that you knew it was hopeless to struggle, though you still halfheartedly squirmed in his grasp when he scooped you up, only to freeze like a deer in headlights when he brought you so close to his face that the red of his optics painted your skin a ghastly red.

“You’re so _fragile_ , so disgustingly weak and pathetic in this form. Really I’d be doing us both a favor by ending your miserable life here and now.” His tone was light as he spoke, as if you two were merely discussing the weather rather than your imminent death.

You swallowed your fear and gave him a cool stare, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing how deeply you were affected by his words. “If you’re going to kill me just get it over with already. At this rate I’ll die of old age before you get around to finishing me off.”

He laughed, but it was not a joyful sound. “So defiant! I must say this is the most entertaining you’ve ever been without being ripped apart piece by piece.” He ran a single digit down your face in a twisted mockery of a lover’s caress and you bared your teeth at him, shivering with thinly veiled disgust. “Yes, I think I’ll keep you around this time, have a little _fun_ with you. And besides,” his grip on you tightened just a fraction but it was enough to have you gasping for air before he loosened his fist again, “if I get bored I can always just get rid of you and start over again.”

As he carried you away to his ship you shut your eyes once more, the sight of what remained of your friends too much to bear. But even with your eyes closed all you could see was red; the red of their blood, the red of his optics, and the red string that bound you to him.


	3. Mtmte Fulcrum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11 for Fulcrum, if it's not too much to ask!
> 
> Prompt: Your soulmates first impression/thought about you is written on your body

Having the word “Ew!” printed across your arm in big blocky letters had done little for your self esteem growing up. To know that your soulmate, the one person in the universe who was supposed to truly love and care for you, was going to take one look at you and be absolutely disgusted would be enough to crush most people, but you had simply shrugged and moved on. Maybe the circumstances of your meeting would warrant their disgust or it would be a knee jerk reaction that they’d quickly move beyond. Either way you didn’t give it too much thought, content to just live your life from day to day.

When a jet crash landed in your backyard you’d hardly flinched, and when that jet had turned into a giant alien robot who wore the symbol of the faction that had in recent times tried to conquer your whole planet, you’d just demanded to know whether or not he intended on hurting anybody. When he said no you’d nodded and turned to head back inside but Misfire, as you quickly learned he was called, insisted you come with him to help his friend get over his prejudice towards humans.

You didn’t have any plans for the day and from the sound of it he’d go looking for another human if you didn’t go with him so you readily agreed, hoping into his jet alt mode. In no time at all the two of you were at his crew’s ship and he set you down in the corner of the main room and made you promise you wouldn’t move before he took off, calling for somebody by the name of ‘Fulcrum’ while you took in your surroundings.

You weren’t left alone for long as some other giant robot stepped into the room, spotting you immediately and letting out an exasperated yell. “Oh gross! Who let a human on board?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, seeming to already know the answer. “Misfire! Get your human out of here!”

You had been silent during his outburst but now you let out a low whistle as you crossed your arms. “Don’t know if anybody’s ever told you this but you’ve got a chin the size of the moon.”

He made an odd face, as if you’d sucker punched him, and moved one of his hands to rub at his shoulder where you could see some letters peeking out from between his fingers. “You wouldn’t be the first to say something like that.”

You thumbed your soulmark and snorted. “Yeah well you’re the one who took one look at me and thought I was nauseating so really I think I got the short end of the stick here.”

A look of horror dawned on his face as he came to the same conclusion you already had. “A human? Really?”

Misfire chose that moment to walk back into the room, clapping giddily. “Oh good you’ve already met! And Fulcrum hasn’t thrown up!” He pouted at the lack of a response but finally seemed to take note of the way Fulcrum was clutching at his mark while you rubbed circles into yours and his optics lit up. “Oh you’re sparkmates! That means you have to get used to humans now, which means we can go back for MP3! I’ll go tell the others the good news!” He took off before either of you could protest at being left alone again, leaving you two to awkwardly stare at each other. After a few extended moments you spun on your heel and walked away further into the ship.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

You ignored his exasperated call as you kept walking, peeking into each of the rooms you passed by. He followed you from a distance and halted abruptly when you turned around to face him. “If I’m gonna be sticking around I might as well introduce myself to all your friends.” You resumed your search, glancing into yet another empty room

“Who said you were going to be sticking around?”

Without pausing you lifted your arm in the air and waved, putting your mark on display. Fulcrum gagged but continued trailing you anyways, resigned to his fate.


	4. Tfa Megatron and Lugnut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Number 12 for the Soulmate AU! Maybe TFA Megatron as the Lover and Lugnut as the Enemy. I think it would be an... 'interesting' interaction.
> 
> Prompt: You have a name on each wrist, your soulmate’s name and your enemy’s name and you don’t know which is which

Lugnut ground his dentae together as you gazed at him smugly from your perch on Megatron’s lap. You were an infuriating heap of scrap and his one true enemy, as indicated by the marking on his wrist, but you were also Lord Megatron’s sparkmate, a position that placed you high up in the Decepticon chain of command. You were untouchable, which meant Lugnut couldn’t decimate you the way he so strongly desired, but the same standard did not apply to him, a fact you’d taken advantage of numerous times.

Even now, as he reported the results of his latest mission to Megatron, you were mocking him, draping yourself over their esteemed leader like some kind of harlot as you waved your fingers at him before using them to casually trace the lines of Megatron’s Decepticon insignia. Only his deep respect for his leader and his determination to spite you by delivering his report flawlessly kept him from launching himself at you, though he still sneered at you when he finished speaking.

Megatron knew what was going on of course, the names on either of your wrists were enough to clue anyone in on to what was going on, but he left you to your devices. Lugnut was a loyal, if somewhat single minded, soldier and you were his sparkmate and so long as it didn’t interfere with his grand plans then you were free to snipe away at each other as you pleased. On some level he even found it amusing that you two were constantly posturing like this, Lugnut scrambling to win his attention and favor while you simply found pleasure in riling up the large ‘con.

Even now the two of you were too caught up in your petty squabble to notice his smirk as he calculatingly placed a servo over your shoulder, a display that had Lugnut frowning and you preening like the cat that got the canary. This mudball of a planet held few amusements and your rivalry with Lugnut was one of them.


	5. Mtmte Tarn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8 for Tarn?
> 
> Prompt: When your soulmate listens to music you can hear it too

Whatever this song was, your soulmate loved it, as they listened to it near constantly, hardly ever playing another song. Initially you had been annoyed by it but as time passed you began to view it as a source of comfort, a sign that no matter what went wrong in your life you would always have your soulmate to fall back on.

Now, as you scrambled down the halls of the _Lost Light_ desperately searching for somewhere to hide as you fought back tears, the music in the air and the music in your head echoing each other in a strange feedback loop, it brought you nothing but fear. You were still searching for a place to hunker down in, trying to take advantage of the precious few seconds your friends had bought you, when the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, the music amplifying as the source drew near.

You quickly slid into a vent, wincing with every little sound you made as you squeezed through the opening, pressing yourself to the wall and remaining as still as possible. The footsteps continued, stopping outside of where you were hidden, and you tensed up, praying that whoever it was would move on. For a moment you were hopeful, believing that he had missed your presence, but then the vent cover was ripped away in a flash of sparks and the screech of metal against metal drowned out your own shriek.

You frantically moved further into the vent, only to have your ankle snagged by your pursuer, whose vocalizer spat out a grating, garbled sound that your translator couldn’t understand. You yelled and kicked wildly but it did little to deter him as he dragged you out, dangling you in the air like a rag doll.

“Now now Vos, you need to be more careful. That’s precious cargo you’re holding.” The music, which was still playing both in the ship and in your head, came to an abrupt end. A different Cybertronian came into view, plucking you from the others’ grasp. “Hello there _sparkmate_.” His voice had a weight to it that hung over you like a cloud, settling deep within your chest in a sensation that made your head swim and your skin crawl. “I didn’t think our hunt for Overlord would bring me to you, and I never _dreamed_ you’d be… _organic_.” The disgust in his tone was apparent and you shuddered in his grip, too frightened to speak. “Though it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve tamed a beast so to speak, and I’m sure you’ll be much more cooperative than he was.” There was now a touch of mirth to his words, as if he was telling some private joke that you didn’t understand.

He smoothed a digit over your hair, humming thoughtfully. “Yes I think with the proper guidance and the right tutelage even someone like you can be reformed into something better, something _more_.”


	6. Rb Blades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blades + 6
> 
> Prompt: You only see in black and white until you touch your soulmate for the first time

You spun in a slow circle, amazed by what you saw. After all this time of seeing in nothing but black and white, to see so many new, vibrant colors all at once was overwhelming. But even as you took in this new experience you were still stuck on one thing; just who exactly was your soulmate?

You were standing in the corner of the festival by yourself, no one else was around except the helicopter Rescue Bot who was on call in case of an emergency. You had just been passing by when you’d noticed that a wrapper had gotten caught in one of his rotors, and not wanting to leave him like that, you’d taken it upon yourself to remove it. You still had it in your hand now, having been too distracted by the sudden burst of color to dispose of it. No one had been anywhere close enough to touch you and the only thing _you’d_ touched was the Rescue Bot.

You looked up at him, suddenly seeing him in a new light. You’d wondered sometimes if there was something more to Griffin Rocks robotic rescue team, especially with the way the Burns family talked about them, but you’d never thought you’d find actual proof. Curiously, you ran a hand over the same rotor you’d previously touched, almost missing the way he twitched in response.

You gazed up at him in wonderment. “You really _are_ alive, aren’t you?” You gave him a soft smile, patting his servo reassuringly. “Don’t worry your secret's safe with me,” you paused, then gave him an even brighter smile than before, “soulmate.”

Someone called your name and you looked away from him before turning back. “After the festival I’ll swing by the firehouse and maybe we can talk there, in private?” There was a note of hope in your voice, shadowed by an uncertainty that almost had Blades dropping his cover so that he could reassure you that he was overjoyed to have finally found you. Instead he held still as you brushed your fingers against him one last time before disappearing into the crowd.


	7. Bw Dinobot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinobot and #18!
> 
> Prompt: Only certain people can see the red string of fate that connects soulmates and you’re one of them

You sat in Dinobot’s habsuite, surrounded by the few personal effects he owned. In your hands you held the flowers he had given you just that morning before going on patrol, having pressed them into your hands along with a brief but sweet kiss. After the incident in which he’d temporarily returned to his old allegiances he had been uncharacteristically open with his affections, each word and gesture an unspoken apology and a promise to be better.

You hadn’t questioned it too much, far too relieved to have him back with you and the Maximals, but now you wondered if he had perhaps known that it would come to this. Even now, as the others raced to save him, you knew that he wasn’t coming back. You hadn’t gone with them despite this, knowing that you would only slow them down and that none of them, least of all Dinobot, would want you anywhere near the battle. Besides, you’d already had your goodbye, even if you hadn’t recognized it for what it was at the time. It was better to let it all play out, for Dinobot’s last memory of you to be a happy one rather than being forced to watch you fall apart as his spark faded away and rejoined the Matrix.

So you contented yourself with carefully pressing the flowers he had given you in between one of the few books you had managed to save when your ship first crashed, a collection of poems that you had given him as a gift at the start of your relationship. You paused every so often to steady your trembling hands as the red string connecting you to him flickered and dimmed. As it finally dissolved in one last burst of shining light you began to weep, silently letting the tears drip down your face as you worked to preserve his final gift to you.


	8. Mtmte Rung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May I have 18 with Rung please??
> 
> Prompt: Only certain people can see the red string of fate that connects soulmates and you’re one of them

You’d been following your red string for millions of years, since before the war between Autobots and Decepticons had even started. You always seemed to just barely miss your other half, trailing along after them all across the known universe. When Rodimus had announced that he was taking a crew to seek out the Knights of Cybertron you’d immediately signed up to be apart of the quest. Perhaps you’d find your intended along the way and if not, then at least you’d have a story to tell them when you did.

You were so used to always missing your soulmate by just a fraction, that it took you a few days into the trip to realize that the distance between you had remained relatively the same, meaning they were likely on the Lost Light as well, and the realization had nearly given you a spark attack. It had taken every ounce of self control you had to keep from tearing through the halls in your alt mode, an act that would likely land you in the brig. Instead you began to systematically search the halls, growing increasingly excited as the line began to shrink.

You were so caught up with what you were doing that you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings and as you rounded the corner you slammed into a smaller mech, knocking him to the floor while you stumbled back a step. You immediately reached out for him, helping the small orange bot to his pedes as you looked him over for injuries. “I am so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going. Are you alright?” You noticed that his glasses had been knocked off in the fall so you bent down on one knee to pick them up, reaching out to hand them back when you froze.

Gazing down at you was the most beautiful Cybertronian you had ever seen, haloed by the lights in the hallway like some kind of mythical figure who had deemed you worthy of his presence. “Thank you.” He carefully plucked the spectacles from your grasp and slid them back into place while you continued to openly stare at him. “I’m fine, but are you alright?” He placed a servo on your shoulder in concern, drawing your attention to the red string attached to it that lead back to you.

Rising up to your full height you grasped his servo in yours, giving it a soft squeeze as you smiled warmly at him. “I am now.”


	9. Tfp Ratchet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 16 with tfp ratchet please?
> 
> Prompt: The day when you’re supposed to meet your soulmate will continually loop for the both of you until you finally find each other

3… 2… 1… and right on cue the ambulance went zooming by, just like it did the last 4 times you’d gone through this. You groaned, just barely suppressing the urge to slam your head into the wall of the building you were leaning on out of frustration. You’d been all over town multiple times, desperately searching for your soulmate, only to come up empty handed every time and being forced back to the morning every time the clock struck midnight. At this rate it’d take you _weeks_ to finally locate them, a prospect that didn’t excite you in the least.

Huffing, you kicked at a rock and sent it skittering, resigning yourself to yet another day of fruitlessly wandering through Jasper and the surrounding desert. Taking off in a random direction you found yourself crossing paths with one of the neighborhood kids, Raf, who was currently climbing into a car that had pulled up to the curb and was _certainly_ not his mother’s. Concerned by this, along with the fact that it was nearly 11 pm on a school night, you jogged forward, bending down to peek in at whoever it was that was picking him up.

“Hey, Raf, buddy who are you getting a lift fr-” You froze mid sentence, blinking rapidly as you took note of the fact that the driver’s seat was empty. Raf blanched at your sudden intrusion and glanced rapidly back and forth at the dashboard and you, nodding as a series of beeps rang out. He unceremoniously reached forward and tugged you into the car, meeting with little resistance as you allowed him to push you into the backseat.

“I’m really sorry but you’re going to have to come with us.”

Still dazed, you watched with a mix of fascination and growing panic as the door shut itself, engine revving as the car turned and sped off down the road and into the desert. Before you could even think to try and make a fuss, the yellow vehicle was pulling into what looked to be a military base. The doors popped open and you stumbled out right before a series of whirs and clicks heralded the car’s shift into a giant robot, towering over you as you protectively pushed Raf behind you.

Ducking under your arm, the teen place himself between the two of you, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “It’s alright! Bee is my friend!” You warily eyed the robot who gave you a cheerful wave in return, beeping excitedly. “He says it’s nice to meet you, and that the rest of the team will be back soon.”

“There’s more of them?” Raf just gave you an encouraging smile and lead you over to the couch where you promptly collapsed, still reeling over the fact that not only did one apparently sentient robot exist, there was an entire group of them. Before you could really take a moment to process this newfound knowledge, the same ambulance that you had seen repeatedly the past 4 days drove in. Almost immediately it was shifting and growing in size until it too, was another robot, one who began muttering complaints to himself as he crossed the room, only to stop short at the sight of you.

“Really Bumblebee? Another one?” The new robot rubbed tiredly at his face as Bumblebee chirped out a response. “Well it’s late and I’m not dealing with this on top of everything else, so until Optimus gets back or the day changes, you’re responsible for the human.”

Finally pulling yourself together, you rose from your seat, stepping forward to catch their attention. “Don’t bother. In a few minutes none of you are going to remember this and I’ll be back at square one.”

The red and white one stiffened even as Raf bounced on his feet. “You mean you’re in a soulmate loop?”

“Yeah, for the past 4, soon to be 5, days I’ve been running myself ragged trying to find my ‘better half.’”

There was a loud snort and the 3 of you turned to look at the ambulance, Raf tilting his head curiously. “Ratchet?”

Before he could respond, the timer on your phone that you’d set for 12:01 am rang out, startling you. You stared blankly at it for a moment before turning your gaze to to the one named Ratchet, who was gazing back at you with equal trepidation. If the day hadn’t reset then that meant…

“It appears,” your soulmate’s voice was flat, his expression one of exhaustion, “that we have found each other.”


	10. Tfa Blitzwing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the soulmate thing, 4. with TFA Blitzwing?
> 
> Prompt: Your soulmate’s name is somewhere on your body

It wasn’t unusual to have more than one mark, you’d heard of plenty of people who had multiple soulmates. It wasn’t the fact that you had three names that bothered you. It was the fact that it was the same name written across your side three times that had you confused. It was possible that all three of your soulmates happened to have the exact same name, but you could hardly imagine meeting _one_ person named Blitzwing, much less _three_. As it turned out you were right, in a way. Blitzwing wasn’t one person, he was a single robot with three distinct personalities, none of which had been expecting a _human_ for a ‘sparkmate’. The first time you’d met him had been… less than ideal and had set a strange precedent for the rest of your relationship.

-

You were aware of the Decepticon presence in Detroit but you’d been fortunate enough to avoid being caught up in one of their many attacks, though it seemed that luck had run out and left you smack dab in the middle of the latest Autobot vs Decepticon battle. With two separate fights going on at either end of the street you were on you’d been left with no choice but to seek out shelter in the middle, rather than fleeing the scene altogether. Ducking behind a few overturned cars hadn’t done much for you and your friend, who’d made the much wiser decision to hide out in one of the alleys that dotted the street, frantically called your name as a third Decepticon approached.

While that caught your attention, it had the negative effect of also ensnaring the attention of the newcomer who whipped around to stare you down with a cool gaze, red monocle shifting as it zoomed in on you crouching behind your pitiful excuse for cover. A few steps were enough to carry him down the street to you and you let out a yell as he casually plucked you from the ground, unperturbed by your frantic squirming.

“Show me your mark human.” His demand was so out of the blue that you forgot to keep struggling as you blinked at him in confusion. With a click and a whir you were suddenly greeted by the sight of a different face entirely, one who snarled at you with clear anger.

“SHOW ME YOUR MARK BEFORE I CRUSH YOU LIKE THE INSIGNIFICANT BUG YOU ARE.” Frightened, you wiggled in his grip until he loosened it, giving you enough room to tug your shirt up over your hip.

There was another whir and a third face peered out at you, cackling at the sight of your newly exposed skin. “Ohhhh dinner and a show!” You didn’t think that he would actually eat you but the sight of his jagged smile still made you nervous as he leered at the writing on your side. His face spun around again and the initial one came back out, silent as he traced a digit over the three names on your side. The sudden display of tenderness threw you for yet another loop and without really meaning to you let your hand fall onto his finger, breaking his concentration as he yanked it away from you like your touch burned him.

After a few more moments he abruptly placed you back down, the sudden movement giving you a wave of vertigo that had you stumbling backwards to land on your backside as he strode away without looking back. You could only watch with dazed eyes as he took a particularly vicious swing at one of the Autobots, your friend rushing over to help you to your feet as another Decepticon scolded ‘Blitzwing’ for arriving to the fight late.


	11. Mtmte Dratchet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 with poly drift ratchet mtmte?  
> Prompt: Anything you draw or write on yourself shows up on your soulmate and vice versa

It’d been awhile since anything new had shown up on your skin. You’d rarely seen any signs from your soulmate and most of the time it had either been different, swirling patterns or some strange symbols that you, nor any of the experts you approached, could understand.

The day the Cybertronians had revealed their presence on Earth had been the day you realized that your cosmic other half was from another world entirely. Knowing this, you’d thrown yourself headfirst into any and all opportunities to get near these metal giants, heedless of the danger so long as it put you closer to your goal. Your calculated recklessness finally paid off when you were selected to accompany the crew of the Lost Light as a representative of your planet in a symbolic gesture of goodwill and faith.

Frankly, there were a lot of politics involved but you hadn’t bothered to familiarize yourself with them. All you cared about was finally getting out there into the great unknown; the chance to see things that no other human had ever seen before and would maybe never see again was too great to pass up and if you found your soulmate along the way then all the better.

Now that you were actually on board the ship your excitement was palpable. The second your superiors exited the ship and left you to your own devices you let all pretenses drop, reintroducing yourself to your new captain with an easy grin that he returned. The two of you effortlessly fell into a casual back and forth as he gave you the informal tour, which included a bar that had not been part of the walkthrough your commanders had been given. You were casually chatting with Rodimus and the bartender, Swerve, who had promised to snag some organic friendly drinks for you, when they’d both suddenly stopped to stare at you. Confused, you’d twisted around to check behind you but saw nothing but the mostly vacant room. Turning back around you came to a sudden realization and learned forward to check your reflection in the glass Swerve was still holding.

Underneath one eye was a red line that crossed over the curve of your check only to switch directions as it ended at the corner of your mouth. Beneath the other you could see the outline of another mark being formed, steady strokes gradually filling it in. “If you happen to have any rags I can clean this off real quick before we finish the tour.”

“No!” Rodimus’ abrupt objection had you racing an eyebrow at him as he grinned, holding a servo out to you. “Trust me when I say there’s some other crew members who need to see this first.”

Shrugging, you stepped up into his servo, waving goodbye at Swerve who waved back, apparently on call with someone as he began to babble into the empty air in what was a one sided conversation from your perspective. As Rodimus practically sprinted through the hallways, skipping past things that he promised you’d get to see later, other ‘bots stopped to watch you go by, whispering to each other as they eyed you in particular. Unperturbed, you just enjoyed the ride, taking note of some spots on the ship that looked particularly interesting.

Finally Rodimus pulled up in front of what looked to be the medial bay, giving you another smirk as he stepped through the doors. You barely had any time to exchange names with the medic up front who introduced himself as First Aid before Rodimus was breezing through another door into what was clearly someone’s office. One mech was seated with his back to you while another was hunched over his desk, data pad in one servo as the other laid flat on the desk, intertwined with the other’s own servo.

Without looking up he spoke. “Rodimus we already told you we’d come out to meet the human later.”

“No need Ratchet.” Rodimus’ tone was cheerful as he stepped further into the room, raising you up higher so that you’d be more visible. “I saved you the trouble and brought them to you!”

That had Ratchet pulling his servo free to pinch at the bridge of his nose as he set the data pad down. Whatever complaints he might have had died out as he watched you trace the stripes along your face that mirrored the ones on his. This caught the attention of the mech still faced away from you and he spun his chair around to face you, brush still clutched in his servo.

As you all watched each other with bated breath, a splatter of paint fell from the still dripping brush onto the nameless mech, splashing red across his arm. Fascinated, you watched as red streaked down your arm in the exact same pattern that was on their own respective limbs. The tension broke as Rodimus plopped you down onto the desk, backing out of the door with a wink. “I’ll leave you three alone to get to know each other better, I’m sure Drift and Ratchet will take _very_ good care of you.”

The painter, Drift, was the first to make a move, setting down his brush in favor of reaching out to you in a silent invitation. You stepped up with no hesitation, steadying yourself against his thumb as he brought you up to eye level and circled the desk so that he was standing by Ratchet with you in between them.

“Gotta say I wasn’t expecting two soulmates, though I’m _definitely_ not complaining.” You laughed, pressing a hand to your mouth to stifle the sound. “You wouldn’t _believe_ some of crazy stuff I’ve done to find you- _both_ of you.”

Ratchet gave you a small smile, the first expression he’d made outside of irritated and confused so far, and you could feel your heart speed up in response. Drift’s own smile, already full of a love that you couldn’t possibly fathom being directed towards you, was equally breathtaking.

“Why don’t you tell us all about it?” He leaned into Ratchet, who cupped a servo around Drift’s so that they were both cradling you to them. “We have time.”


	12. Idw Megatron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup, I was wondering if a soulmate #4 would be good for MTMTE Megatron? I’d love the name to be somewhere stupid, like on the inside of the reader’s thigh or somethin. Whatever you think lol  
> Prompt: Your soulmate’s name is somewhere on your body

You’d known who your soulmate was for years now. How could you not? His face was everywhere in the years following the attack on Earth, and it was part of the reason you were selected to join the _Lost Light_ as a sort of ambassador. After all not even Megatron, monster that he was, would kill his own soulmate. At least that was the logic behind your selection.

The first few months of your stay had been tense. The crew had been welcoming but Megatron himself had been distant, aloof. He went out of his way to avoid you and only ever directly engaged you when it was absolutely necessary. Occasionally when he thought no one was looking at him, you would catch him staring at you, expression a strange mixture of revulsion and self loathing, and buried beneath that, longing.

This avoidance likely would have continued on forever if there had not been an incident in which you’d very nearly died. Your injuries had rendered you unconscious so you had no recollection of what had happened but to hear it from the others, especially Swerve who relished in rehashing the details, Megatron had thrown himself headfirst into the fray with little consideration for his own safety and there had been an uncharacteristic desperation to his actions as he carried you back to the medics, helpless to do anything but watch as they worked to stabilize you. You had woken up in the medbay with a recharging Megatron at your side and that moment had marked a shift in your relationship. The two of you had grown closer, gradually becoming friends while dancing around the subject of romance, though it was clear to everyone that there was a rising tension between the two of you. It was why you found yourself in your current position, face burning and eyes fixed to some point above Megatron’s shoulder.

“I understand if you’d rather not show me the mark, I know it is a rather personal thing to do and I would never want to pressure you.” His words are perfectly polite and his look is one of understanding but you can still see the sadness in his optics and you stumble over your words as you try to reassure him.

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to show you, it’s just that well…” Your face burns even more as you cough into your fist. “It’s in an… intimate spot.” You gesture to your lower half and watch as his gaze instantly drops, your face radiating so much heat at this point that you feel like you might actually pass out. There’s a click as his fans turn on at their lowest setting and you fidget as he continues to openly stare. After what seemed like an eternity he released a burst of static in the Cybertronian equivalent of clearing one's throat and finally looked you in the eyes as he gave you a stiff nod.

“I see.” That was all he said and silence reigned once more before you tentatively offered up a solution.

“You could come back with me to my hab and I could just show you there?” There’s another click as his fans start working twice as hard and he gives you another nod before extending his servo to you. You climb up and as you settled you were hyper aware of the way he attempted to discreetly scan your legs, as if imagining where exactly his name was etched into your skin. You’re already feeling flustered and picturing his reaction when he found out how high up on your inner thigh the soulmark was only made it worse. At this rate you really _would_ collapse.


	13. Mtmte Cygate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 and poly! Cygate please  
> Prompt: Only certain people can see the red string of fate that connects soulmates and you’re one of them

Anyone could see that those two belonged together. It was clear, even to those who lacked your particular ability, that Cyclonus and Tailgate were meant to be and the thin red string that connected them only confirmed what you already knew. You did your best to encourage their budding relationship, stepping in when it was necessary and hanging back otherwise. Tailgate often sought out your company and your advice and to your surprise Cyclonus, in his own way, also showed a vested interest in your friendship.

It was hard not to feel anything for the pair, even though you knew that you had no place with them, and you fell a little more for both with each and every interaction. Frightened by the enormity of your emotions and the fact that they would never be returned, you distanced yourself from them gradually, telling yourself that it was because they no longer needed your help. When news spread of their relationship you were torn between feeling joy at another pair of soulmates finally connecting and feeling a deep sense of sadness at the fact that you had no place with them, or anyone else. You could see the red string of fate tying together all soulmates and knew for a fact that you yourself lacked one.

You continued your avoidance of them, ducking out of rooms as they entered or placing others between you and them in order to avoid having to talk to them. If you had your way this would have gone on forever but Cyclonus and Tailgate grew weary of your constant sidestepping and you found yourself cornered in your habsuite.

“Did we do something wrong?” Tailgate somehow managed to contort his faceplate and visor into a sorrowful look and you glanced helplessly at Cyclonus who stood behind him, a single servo draped over the minibot’s shoulder in a display of solidarity. His expression was as taciturn as ever and offered no help.

“No Tailgate, you and Cyclonus didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who messed up. I’m one of the individuals who can see the bonds between soulmates, or sparkmates.” You could see a brief look of understanding pass over Cyclonus’ face though you could tell that it took Tailgate a few more moments to process what you were saying. “I knew you two were destined for each other, that you were a perfect match, but I went and developed feelings for you both anyways and it was _stupid_ and _selfish_ of me to even consider it and-” You buried your face in your hands, fighting back the urge to cry and you fell silent as you felt the clawed tip of Cyclonus’ finger run over your hair soothingly while Tailagate’s servos gently gripped your wrists.

Cyclonus spoke up first, voice a low rumble.“You have no reason to apologize.”

“We like you too. A lot.” Tailgate tugged lightly and you allowed him to pull your hands away from your face as Cyclonus slid a single digit from the crown of your head to your chin, tipping you up so that you were facing them.

“We would like to be with you, if you would have us.”

“But… I don’t even have a mark.”

“So?” You could hear the smile in Tailgate’s voice.

“It is our choice, and yours. Nothing else matters.”

You stared up at them for a few more moments, searching for any shred of uncertainty or hesitance, but you found none. Tentatively you turned one hand so that it was grasping Tailgate’s servo while you pulled the other one free in order to place it over the finger Cyclonus had tucked under your chin. “Then I choose you both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who has read this fic, especially those of you who have dropped a comment. I'm absolute garbage at replying but I really do appreciate seeing them and it always makes my day to know people like the content I put out!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr @ratchetsboyfriend!


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